summer day
fresh laid turf
ball rattling into a tin cup

morning dew
dead silent
the mission comes alive

great music playing
overpriced drinks
smiles all around

Brandon Suwanpratest

I love this Haiku because if reminds me of why I came to Millikin. The vibe you get when you're out and about is unlike any I have ever experienced. It's all about the good times and memories. Josh

one by one
falling to the ground
autumn wind

Hailey Sharp

I enjoyed this haiku because it was simple and peaceful. Explaining how one by one, the leafs were falling added to the vision. The wind is blowing in the chill weather. Assuming they are leaves, it paints a nice picture. Deeper it could be the perspective of a hunter shooting fowl. Norman

the clock strikes midnight
quietly lying next to him
counting heartbeats

Hailey Sharp

I enjoyed this haiku because it provides an immediate vivid image with a myriad of possible back stories. I pictured a young woman, lying awake, with a man next to her. Was she merely unable to sleep, and counting the man's heartbeats instead of sheep? Was she unable to sleep because she was unhappy in the relationship with him? Was she counting his heartbeats because he was dying? Had she poisoned him, or killed him in some other fashion, and merely counting his heartbeats until his expiration? I really enjoyed the many different directions this back story could take. Tom

one foot in front of the other
hand in hand
we danced

tombstones
arranged like jagged teeth
fathers, brothers, sons

Jennifer Yeakley

taxi cabs drive by
lights not on
Uber

from my daughter's hand
a dandelion bouquet
in a crystal vase

Jennifer Yeakley

Autumn night
tucked under a blanket
of stars

Jennifer Yeakley

construction site
nothing left standing
but the porta potty

Jennifer Yeakley

brand new dress
with matching shoes
she twirls

I sit on her lap
she loves me so
nana

adding one chair
graduating
from the kid's table

Norman Mears

This haiku reminds me of the holidays. When I was younger, it was a rite of passage to be moved from the kid's table in the kitchen to the adult table located in the formal dining room. It took a significant milestone like an engagement or graduation from college for a family member to ever be considered for relocation. Now that I am host to many family dinners, I determine the seating assignments. There are times when I am confident that the kid's table is having more fun and lively conversation causing me to reconsider the seating chart. Jennifer

sweltering heat
an open fire hydrant
water park for everyone

Norman Mears

swimming pool empty
skate boards breaking
skaters on the halfpipe

sunshine gone
clouds rolling in
hurricane approaches

Zachary Dilbeck

talking on the phone
Grandma saying goodbye
another angel in heaven

moonlight
through parted trees
the grand ballroom

Thomas Friend

hunched against the cold
the yoga pants
travel in packs

Thomas Friend

it should have
come sooner
winter's first snow

Thomas Friend

This makes me think of the weather we have been having the past several years here in Illinois. I always hear my parents talk about how they used to have so much more snow back in the 70's than we get today. I like the snow and it seems like we get less and less each year. And it also seems like we get snow later and later each year as well. I remember getting snow late in January or even February for the first time. It seems like we should have snow in December but almost never get much then anymore. Nick

Grandpa's handsaw worn smooth still fits like a glove in my hand

Sean Dial

summer rain
wash the hurt away
     to begin anew

tearing down the highway
blue lights
Bonnie & Clyde

Hailey Sharp

the small town struggles
grasping the truth
murder

the smell of evergreen
walking the rows
Christmas tree

daddie's suitor candle
getting low
time to go

one more project and
the house is complete
finally

Sean Dial

old glory raised high
on the flagpole
salute

Sean Dial

song in my head
over and over
I hate that song

grilled cheese
cheese toasty
the great debate

Norman Mears

I love this haiku because it reminds me of home in the Midwest, especially in central Illinois. I remember always having this debate with my college baseball teammates from elsewhere. The first time I asked a teammate if they wanted a cheese toasty, they looked at me with a weird look. They had never heard it called a cheese toasty. My argument is that you don't grill them, you put them in a man until both sides are toasted. I am team Cheese Toasty! Zach

This is an heated debate around Millikin's campus, ever since I been here at school. Millikin is dead center between St. Louis and Chicago, so a lot of people debate on what certain things are called depending on where they are from. It reminds me of the debate between whether the carbonated drink is called “Soda” or “Pop”. I never knew people called it a cheese toasty until I came to Millikin. Brandon

orange and yellow sunrise
on the patio
coffee

still shoots true
barrel lost its blue
Grandpa's gun

Thomas Friend

the old white dog
head under your hand
loyalty

Sean Dial

Boston Tea Party
Boston Marathon
city united as one